A pole placed outdoors, such as a street light, a flagpole or a utility pole, can be damaged by a vehicle driving into it, atmospheric conditions (e.g. storms, hurricanes) and other events. In many cases the occurrence of such an event requires that the outdoor object be repaired or replaced. It is known from, for example, WO-2011121470-A1, to monitor an outdoor lighting fixture node (a street light) for failure. This allows automatic detection of failure and allows, for example, a maintenance crew to be dispatched based on such failure detection. However, if the outdoor object is a pole that is physically deformed, the electrical device, such as the light fixture, can still be operational, hence no failure is detected. There is therefore a need for detection of physical deformation of a pole.
JP-2001202587-A describes a device for measuring vibrations in a lighting pole. It uses known sensors and transmits measured values related to sensor readings via a wireless network.
WO-2011142516-A1 describes a lighting pole with integrated sensors. The measured values related to sensor readings are transmitted via a wireless network.